The One Where Monica is Fine
by courtney-in-the-tardis
Summary: An AU based on The One That Could Have Been. Monica is engaged to Dr. Roger and in love with Chandler, but that's only the beginning to the hurdles this engagement has in store for her. Chandler is dating Janice, who is pressuring him towards an engagement of her own.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Gonna be a bit angsty and sad. But I'm hoping it's worth it :)**

Monica sighed as she looked at the large engagement ring on her finger. It had been a week since Dr. Roger had proposed to her and she had said yes. It wasn't that he was a horrible guy; quite the contrary. Dr. Roger is the kind of guy she, or any woman for that matter, should dream of marrying. The only problem is that he bored her to tears and she was in love with one of her best friends.

To be fair she'd only recently discovered it. It happened one night when Dr. Roger had been beeped by the hospital and Chandler had come over to eat the remains of what she had made for dinner. Somewhere between him chowing down on spaghetti and comforting her with kind words the realization washed over her. She was in love with him and there was nothing she could ever do about it.

Every time she looked at him she felt a weird twinge of excitement and self-loathing. He was a different person now than he was when they were teenagers on that terrible Thanksgiving, but she still knew that the chances of him returning her feelings were zero to none. She'd been motivated at first by his words to lose weight and stick it to him good, but sadly her motivation died as that year had went on and she stopped caring. She was about ten pounds thinner now and she was thankful she was able to keep that off but she knew that if she wanted to lose weight it should come from her own motivation; not to prove something to someone.

Her musings of Chandler and her future were interrupted by a bracing laugh emitting from the hallway. Knowing that Janice was nearby she quickly busied herself cleaning around the living area; hoping to use it as an excuse not to talk to her when she stopped in. Monica wanted to like Janice, or at least feel civil towards her. After all, it wasn't her fault she was dating Chandler instead of her; she'd really done nothing to her. It's just that laugh and how she seemed to flaunt Chandler around unconsciously that drove her mad.

"Monica!" the shrill voice carried as she opened the door without knocking, "Let's see that ring!"

Monica braced herself before pivoting around to face the woman, "Hello, Janice."

"Janice, I'm sure Monica is busy, we can come back after our date," Chandler motioned behind her, obviously trying to save Monica from having to converse with her.

Monica shot him a grateful look for trying but held out her left hand regardless.

Janice grabbed her hand forcefully and slapped her free hand to her chest while gasping, "Oh. My. God."

"Yeah, I know," Monica mustered a smile, "it's beautiful isn't it?"

"This," she began, turning to look at Chandler, "is what doctor money will get you. Who knows what kind of ring you're gonna be able to get me with data computer man money."

Shock fell over Chandler's face followed by a series of jumbled words. Monica assumed it was his attempt to change the subject from marrying Janice. She and Chandler had been going out off and on for about two years and it was getting obvious that she wanted commitment and Monica knew he wasn't going to be able to keep the dodging attempts up forever. It looked like they were both going to have to settle.

Janice cackled loudly, "I love that freaked out look he gets on his face every time I bring up marriage!" She let go of Monica's hand and crossed the room to give Chandler a peck on the cheek and fondly ruffled his hair.

Chandler smiled at her weakly before glancing back up at Monica. She could have sworn she saw his smile widen when he looked at her but she shook her head dismissively; she had to be imagining it.

"Well, I'm gonna go get my coat from your apartment and freshen up. I'll meet you in the hallway in five minutes," she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek once more. Jealously raged through Monica but she could do or say nothing about it so she just smiled politely in their direction then continued fake clean her already immaculate living room.

"Alright, see you in a few minutes," she heard Chandler say behind her. When she heard the door close behind Janice she suddenly felt dreadful to be alone with him. She'd been carefully avoiding being alone with him the past few months; ever since she realized she had more than friends feelings for him. She was convinced that he would see right through her the moment they were alone together again.

She quickly walked past him to grab cleaning supplies from the cabinet and crossed back in front of him just as quickly to return to the living room.

"Mon," he took a few steps closer to her, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said a little too chipper, "Never been better."

"Then why won't you look at me?"

She snapped her eyes up to his lightning fast to make a point, "Chandler, I'm fine."

He looked at her skeptically, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she gave him her best fake smile, "why wouldn't I be? I'm absolutely fine."

"I just," he paused to walk around the couch and stand next to her, "I haven't seen much of you lately. And every time I do see you, you just look so sad. I've just been worried about you."

She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side, "Chandler, would I lie to you?" She hoped he was gullible.

A smile creeped its way onto his face, "Nah, I guess you wouldn't."

"See? You're being paranoid. I'm fine."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't really catch that, did you say you were fine?" he joked, causing her to chuckle.

Lightly smacking his arm she crossed the room to put her cleaning supplies up.

"How about you? Are you fine?"

His eyebrows raised, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, Janice is on the marriage path. You looked a little freaked out there for a minute."

"Yeah, she's been hinting around more than usual these last few months. I don't know. Sometimes I think I should just go ahead and marry her but other times.." he trailed off.

That got her attention. "Other times, what?"

"Other times I feel like I was meant to wait for someone, you know?"

"Like who?" she edged.

"I don't know, someone who makes me happy at my lowest points. Someone who knows when to push me to do things I'll regret not doing. Someone who actually knows what I do for a living."

She smiled.

"But, you know what I'm talking about. You already found your Mr. Right," he told her, leaning on the counter, "oh, I'm sorry, Dr. Right."

She leaned on the counter beside of him, "Yeah, right." She looked up at him to find that he was looking down at her. Their eyes locked and it made her heart stop beating. He was looking at her so intensely but she had no way to know what he was thinking in that moment. Before she could pluck up the courage to inch herself closer the door opened with a flap.

"Chandler," Joey announced, making his way over to his friends, "I just saw Janice in the hall. She says she's ready for your date."

He cleared his throat and began to shuffle awkwardly away from Monica. "Oh, yeah. I'd almost forgotten about Janice."

"Yeah, I wish I could," Joey deadpanned.

Chandler shot him a glare but it didn't seem to have much force behind it. He waved goodbye to the pair and left for his date. Knowing that Joey's presence usually meant he was hungry Monica began to pull food from the fridge to fix the Italian man dinner.

"Hey, Mon," Joey tapped her on the shoulder, "are you alright?"

She craned her neck over her shoulder and smiled at him, "Yeah, I'm fine."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **Thanks for the reviews so far! So glad everyone is enjoying it. Just to clear some things up, this is a Mondler fic. To the guest worried about whether this is Mondler or not, then no worries. This story is somewhat based off of The One That Could Have Been, but will obviously have some changes to fit my own AU of it. I promise, even though there may be some sad times, I will make up for it.**

When Monica awoke the next morning she was shocked to see that Joey was snoring softly on her couch. She assumed he had went back to his apartment when she went to sleep last night but that was apparently not the case. Smiling at him fondly she walked past him to get breakfast started and let him dream for a little bit longer.

Eventually the smell of eggs frying lulled Joey from his slumber and he was drawn to Monica's side.

"So, uh, you making some eggs there, Mon?"

She shifted her concentration on the matter at hand to look at Joey, "Uh huh. Well spotted, Joe."

He was practically pushing her out of the way to look at the sizzling food before him.

"You know, scrambled eggs are my favorite eggs."

She rolled her eyes as she got a plate from the cabinet and slid the eggs from the pan onto the plate and handed it to him. His eyes lit up with a childlike sparkle and she couldn't help but laugh at him a little; his adoration of food was adorable.

"How you doin'?" he asked the plate of eggs suavely.

"Don't forget your bacon," Monica told him before he started shoveling the eggs down.

"Bacon too? Oh Mon, you're going to make the best wife. Too bad you ain't marrying me," he suddenly looked up and arched a brow at her seductively, "when they ask for any objections at your wedding, I'm standing up."

"I'll still make you food when I'm married," she informed him after whacking him with a dish towel.

Why couldn't she have fallen in love with Joey? At least he would have married her for her cooking skills alone. He would have died of a heart attack before he reached forty but they could have lived a happy life. But no, she had to go and fall in love with Chandler. Sarcastic, awkward, oblivious Chandler. Oh how she wished Chandler would stand up on her wedding day and object to her marrying another man; but that wasn't about to happen.

"Hey all!"

' _Speak of the devil,'_ she thought to herself as Chandler entered the kitchen.

"Hey man!" Joey greeted with a mouthful of food.

"Hey, Monica," she could hear the lop-sided grin on his face as he hovered behind her. She kept her back to him and busied herself with making his sunny-side up eggs.

"Oh, hey Chandler. Your eggs will be done here in a few minutes." She hated keeping herself distant from him but it was for her own good; his own good. She was marrying someone else and her declaration could cause a whole heap of trouble for their group so it was in everyone's best interest if she just kept to herself for a while.

He lingered behind her a moment longer before finally mumbling, "Okay," and taking a seat beside Joey at the table.

"Any luck at your audition, Joe?" Chandler asked.

"Nah, ever since I got kicked off Days of Our Lives it's been one failed audition after the other," he answered sadly.

"It'll get better. I mean, at least you have a passion for what you do. I hate my job."

"At least you have a job."

"Touché."

Monica couldn't help but feel bad for the both of them. She knew how desperate Joey was to get back out there and act and she also knew how unhappy Chandler's job made him. She suddenly felt guilty that she was at a job that she loved.

"Here you are," she gave Chandler a small smile and laid his breakfast out in front of him.

He tilted his chin to look her in the eyes, "Thanks."

She quickly broke the eye contact, "No problem."

She saw him frown but she tried not to read too much into it. Suddenly the phone began to ring and she almost jumped out of her skin. She'd been more on edge than she thought she was.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Monica."

"Hey, Pheebs!" Monica smiled and turned to the boys, "Guys, Phoebe is on the phone!"

The boys looked up from stuffing their faces to wave.

"Chandler and Joey say hi."

"Oh, Joey's there?"

"Um, yeah. How are you feeling?"

"Yeah, uh huh, I'm fine. Listen, could I talk to Joey?"

Monica frowned, "Sure. But, um, Pheebs, you called me."

"I know that."

"Alright," she responded, rolling her eyes.

A rapid flicking noise caught her attention.

"Phoebe, are you smoking?"

"…no."

"Phoebe, I can hear the lighter. Put that cigarette out right now! You are in the hospital for your second heart attack!"

"Okay, mom," Phoebe whined, "Now can I talk to Joey?"

"Fine," she huffed. "Joey, Phoebe wants to talk to you."

Joey got up from the table and took the phone from her, "Hey, how's my favorite girl?"

The room fell quiet as Joey took the phone into the guest bedroom and sprawled out across the bed to talk to Phoebe. She was again left alone with Chandler. When she looked over in his direction she saw that he was picking at his eggs and wore a sad look on his face. It broke her heart to see him unhappy. Fighting every instinct that was telling her to cool her jets, she walked back into the kitchen and took Joey's place beside of him.

"Penny for them?" she asked, propping her head up with her left hand.

He sighed, "I'm not happy, Mon."

She nodded, "I know."

"This isn't where I thought I would be. It was supposed to be a temporary position until I decided what I really wanted to do. When I couldn't figure out what that was I got stuck. I'm stuck, Monica, and I'll never be able to get out."

Hesitantly she placed her hand over his lightly, "Don't say that. You're not going to be there forever." Touching his hand was making her heart thump hard in her chest. She felt guilty that this small act of intimacy with Chandler thrilled her more than a kiss or a touch from Dr. Roger; not that he did much of either.

"I let myself get too comfortable!" he complained, jumping from the table. "I mean, look at Ross, he's doing what he loves! And you! You're a head chef, you love your job!"

Feeling determined she sprung from her chair and she stood in front of him, beaming, "You're right! I do love my job. And you know what? You're going to, too! Enjoy your next few weeks in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration, because we're going to find your career!"

"Really? You'd help me?" he asked, getting excited.

"Of course I will! You need to stop sitting around and moping, Bing! It's time to change your life!"

"Mon, you're the best," he reached forward and gathered her into a hug. She practically melted into his embrace. She could feel his warm breath on the side of her neck and his morning stubble scraped against her cheek. She wished that she could stay in his arms forever. In fact, the hug seemed to last forever; seriously he was not letting her go. When she felt that the hug may have been going on for far too long to be considered appropriate of an engaged woman she pulled back and gave him a friendly punch on the arm.

He shot her a strange look before saying, "You know what I do?"

"What?"

"My job. You actually know what I do for a living?"

She thought about it for a moment, "Huh. Well, I guess someone has to listen to you."

He looked at her a little longer, "Yeah, I guess so."

She laughed nervously under his scrutiny.

A knock at the door served as a welcome distraction.

"I'll get it, it's probably Ross with Ben. I said I'd look after him today."

But when she opened the door it wasn't Ross.

"Rachel? Wh-what are you doing here?"

Rachel Green stood on the other side of the door with mascara running down her face and a bag in her hand.

"Barry cheated on me. Could I stay here with you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, here's Chapter 3! Hopefully things will start getting juicier from this chapter on! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!**

If you had told Monica that three weeks ago Rachel Green would be her new roommate she would have laughed at you. But now, three weeks to the present day, Rachel Green was the occupant of the vacant bedroom in her apartment. It'd been a shaky three weeks, Rachel wasn't used to living without the assistance of her parents or husband, but, she was determined to persevere and be independent. Monica couldn't be prouder.

Tonight, Rachel had made herself scarce. Dr. Roger had called earlier and said that he had some big news for Monica and Rachel had decided to give them some privacy. This was going to be the first day in almost a week that Monica had seen Dr. Roger. She actually felt a bit nervous about seeing him today. Ever since she had discovered her feelings for Chandler she felt guilty every time she saw him. Sure, a part of Monica still loved Dr. Roger, but the part that loved Chandler was bigger. It hurt to admit that to herself.

"Are you alright?" Roger's voice snapped her from her guilt ridden thoughts. She slowly sipped her wine and gave him a weak smile.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"You just seem a bit distracted, is all. You've barely touched your dinner."

She looked down at her full plate of lasagna and grimaced. "Just stressed at work is all. Nothing to worry about, Roger."

He smiled at her and she thought he was going to reach over and take her hand but instead he grabbed a garlic roll on the opposite side of her. Slightly hurt that he'd made no effort to show her any affection all night she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"So, um, you said you had some news for me?"

"Oh, yes. I was going to wait until after we ate but now seems as good a time as any."

This didn't sound good.

"You remember my brother in Providence, Markus?"

She nodded, "Yes. Is he alright?"

"Oh yeah, he's fine. He's great actually! Meredith just found out she's expecting their third."

She grinned, knowing the couple dreamed of having three children, "That's amazing news."

"It's fantastic. But, that's not the big news. You know how my brother and I have talked about opening our own practice?"

Again, she nodded.

"Well, I talked to him the other day and we both agreed that it's time."

"Well, I think that's great," she told him, "I know you've been wanting to leave the hospital. The hours are horrible and I never see you." She paused to give him a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "I can't believe you actually convinced Markus to move to New York. All he can talk about when he visits is how much he hates it here."

Roger was silent for a moment. Sighing he looked up from his lap and into her eyes, "Monica, Markus isn't moving to New York. We're moving to Providence."

"What?" she breathed.

"Look, I know we didn't discuss this or anything but Monica, you have to see reason. You want to have children one day, right?" He waited for her to nod, "New York City is no place to raise children, Mon. Plus, think about the possibilities! Once we move to Providence and the practice picks up I'll be making enough money to support the both of us. You could open up your own restaurant."

"Um," she was speechless. Moving to Rhode Island? Was he insane? No one leaves the greatest city on Earth to move to Rhode Island. She had to admit that the idea of owning her own restaurant sounded appealing but she was also furious that he had made such a rash decision without consulting her.

A beeping noise filled the apartment.

"Oh, damn," Roger muttered, looking down at his beeper, "I'm so sorry sweetie, but I have to go. Emergency at the hospital."

"But," she got up from the couch to follow him, "Roger, we're not done discussing this. I can't," she tugged at her cardigan in frustration, "I mean, this is huge! You didn't even discuss it with me."

"Monica," he took her gently by the forearms, "we will discuss this all later, I promise. But I really, really have to go."

"But Roger," she called after him as he went out the door.

Gathering the uneaten food into storage containers, she set off to clean the kitchen. She had a lot of thinking to do. On the one hand she saw some points to what Roger had done, and on the other she was furious with him. She couldn't leave her life in New York behind, could she? Leave her brother, and parents, and friends. _'And Chandler,'_ her mind nudged.

There was a short, rapid knock on the door, "Hey! You busy?" Chandler donned his usual attire of an oversized sweatshirt and a baseball cap. He enjoyed to dress down on his days off from the office.

"No, come on in," she motioned him.

"Hey, what's the matter? I thought Dr. Roger was supposed to be over tonight?"

"He got beeped again," she explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mon," he patted her arm in sympathy. "I can make it seem like he's here, if you'd like. Did you know that in the year 1789…." he trailed off with a snoring noise.

"Chandler," she said in a warning tone, "if you keep using the same joke after a while it loses its luster."

He held his hands up in defense, "You're right, I apologize. But I can't help it if the man is a walking encyclopedia of answers to the questions we never ask!"

"He is the master of useless information," she agreed.

"Any luck with helping me find my calling in life yet?"

She sunk into the couch, "Not really. I'm sorry Chandler, normally I would be on top of things but with Rachel moving in and being so upset about everything I've barely had time to breathe."

He plopped down beside her, "Hey, no problem, I understand. I've suffered there for five years, I think I can manage getting paid to suffer a little longer."

"I hate that you're so miserable," she admitted, lolling her head against the back of the couch to face him, "Any luck with Janice?"

"Nah, same old, same old, unfortunately," he said airily, "I just don't know, Mon. I mean, I care about Janice. But, I don't think that I can marry her. And I hate myself for that. She clearly cares about me and she's actually a really nice person despite everyone's jokes about her, but I don't know if I can in good faith, promise to make a life with her. You know?"

Feeling brave she took his hand, "I know what you mean." And she did. Monica's relationship with Dr. Roger was quite similar to Chandler's relationship with Janice. The main difference was that Monica had agreed to marry Roger. Torn between making herself happy and making someone else happy mixed with fear of no one else ever loving her had made her say yes. She knew it wasn't the best reason to marry someone, but she had convinced herself that after the wedding her fading feelings for Roger would return once again.

"Have you been on the lookout for new careers?" she asked.

His gaze suddenly went to his shoes, "No."

"Why not?"

He took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair, "Because, looking for a new career on my own makes it so final. I can talk a big game about wanting a new life for myself all I want but at the end of the day, my job security makes me feel safe."

"And that's why you were so excited for my help? Because if I find a new job for you it feels less scary?"

He looked at her sheepishly, "Yeah."

"Chandler, look at me. No matter if you find the job, or I find the job, or I don't know, Ross finds the job, it's still going to be scary. But fear isn't always a bad thing. If we had no fears, life would be boring."

"I guess you're right," he said, though his tone wasn't entirely convincing.

"Sorry, I forgot my wallet," Roger announced as he burst through the door. The two greeted him from the couch as he moved behind them to retrieve his wallet.

"Moving on," Chandler sighed, "it won't be an easy thing to do," he told Monica, continuing their conversation.

"Oh good!" Roger exclaimed, giving the top of Monica's head a brief peck before making his way towards the door again, "You've told him about Rhode Island, then?"

Chandler gave him a questioning look, "What about Rhode Island?"

Roger's eyebrows shot up, obviously realizing he'd misunderstood and let the cat out of the bag, "Well, must be off. Call you when I can, Mon."

Chandler shifted to face her again, "What does he mean about Rhode Island, Mon?"

She suddenly became interested in a loose thread on one of her throw pillows, "It's not a big deal, Chandler."

"Hey," he leaned a little closer to her face, "what's going on? What are you not telling me?"

A feeling of dread coursed through her, "Well, Roger and his brother have decided to open up a practice in their hometown….and that's in Rhode Island."

His face stiffened a little, "What does that mean for you?"

"That means, that I would be going to Rhode Island as well."

He shook his head, "No, you can't move to Rhode Island."

"Look, Chandler, I'm not fond of the idea either, but-"

"But, what? I can't believe you agreed to this."

"Well, we didn't actually discuss it. He just kind of told me that's what we're doing."

"Who are you?"

She squinted her eyes in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"No, seriously. Where's Monica because I'm not looking at her right now."

"Chandler, stop being ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous? You're the one who is letting Roger push you around. He just told you he was going to uproot your life and you're going to blindly follow him like some sort of sheep?"

"No!" she defended, "But, I don't really have that much of a choice, Chandler. He's going to be my husband and he has an important job. I could never ask him to abandon his lifelong dream just for me."

Angry, Chandler shot up from the couch, "He's your fiancé, and he should be moving mountains for you! Does he not care about what you want? If you were my fiancé I would never-" He stopped, obviously too frustrated to carry on.

Now she was getting a little angry, "You can't think of it like that! A marriage is a partnership, you can't just think about what benefits me."

"I'm not stupid, I know he's got to win sometimes, but not like this. Not without even asking your feelings on the subject."

Her eyes began to well up with tears, "I can't deny him this. I'm angry about this, I'm more than angry, but I can't bring myself to do it."

"Have you even thought about how this was going to affect your parents? Your brother? All of us? What are we supposed to do if you leave?"

She turned her neck to hide her tears. It astounded her what started out as a casual, friendly visit from a friend had quickly turned into a heated fight. She felt Chandler's arms awkwardly wrap around her and she fought hard to hold back tears. She didn't want to leave her family, her friends, _him_ ; but she had made a promise to Roger.

"I'm so sorry, Monica," he muffled into her hair, "I'm not good with women and crying. I also never want to be the reason you're crying."

"It's alright. I know you're just concerned about me. You're doing a pretty good job," she sniffed.

"You haven't been yourself lately. I've been walking on eggshells around you. I just miss you, Monica."

"Yeah, I miss me too."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Things are starting to pick up a little bit. I hope you enjoy. Hopefully the 5** **th** **chapter will be up in a few days or at the end of the week. Thanks again for your continued support!**

Monica drained the contents of her mug and sunk into the orange couch located in Central Perk. The events of the prior night played in her mind and it was driving her insane. Why did Chandler get so upset over her news? She'd expected him to be upset about it, sure; any friend would hate to see another friend leave. But, he was absolutely livid. She's not sure if she's ever seen him so mad about anything before.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a mug crashing to the ground behind her. Craning her neck she saw Rachel crouching and frantically picking up the remnants of the cup, looking over her shoulder to see if Gunther had seen the accident take place. After quickly dashing behind the counter and retrieving another cup of coffee for her customer, she plopped down with a loud groan next to Monica.

"Oh Mon, I don't think I'm cut out to be a waitress," she admitted, rubbing her temples fiercely.

"Don't worry Rache," Monica comforted her, "it's not forever. Only until you figure out what you wanna do."

"Let's just face it, I'm not good at anything!"

"Oh come on, that's not true!"

"It is!" she whined, taking off her apron and tossing it onto the chair next to them.

"Well, don't you worry, we'll find you something else," Monica assured her, "I mean, I'm helping Chandler find his calling, I can help you too. You know me, I love to get organized."

Rachel snorted, "You sure do," she paused to cross her legs and straighten her skirt, "speaking of Chandler, why was he in the apartment with you last night instead of Roger? You went to bed so quickly after I got home we didn't get a chance to talk."

"Oh, Dr. Roger got beeped again and Chandler came over to talk about his job."

"He's always getting beeped. I bet that's going to drive you mad when you get married."

Monica remained silent and gave a nonchalant shrug. If she thought telling Chandler about the move was bad, telling Rachel was going to be hell.

"Monica, what's going on? You're acting strange."

She sighed, "Well, after we're married Dr. Roger isn't going to be beeped as much."

Rachel cocked her head to the side, "Why?"

"Because he won't be working at the hospital anymore."

"If he's not working at the hospital, then where would he be working?"

"Roger has decided to open up his own private practice with his brother."

Rachel smiled and patted Monica's arm, "Oh, that's great! No more long hours at the hospital, you must be thrilled!"

"In Rhode Island," she added, shutting her eyes tightly so not to see Rachel's reaction.

She blinked a few times before responding, "I'm sorry, did you say Rhode Island?"

Monica chewed at her lip nervously and nodded.

"Wait, wait, wait, are you telling me, that after you and Roger get married, you're moving to another state? Just like that?"

"Well," Monica said in an upbeat tone, "not just like that! It's not like the wedding is tomorrow, Rachel!"

"It's in four months!"

"…..I know," she answered in a small voice.

"Who else knows about this?"

"Nobody," she shook her head, "I mean, nobody but Chandler."

"Chandler?!"

Heads flew up around the coffee shop at Rachel's outburst.

"You told Chandler before you told me?" she asked, offended.

"Well, Roger came back in after he was beeped to get his wallet and assumed I'd told him and it all just kind of went to hell from there," she defended.

"Chandler got mad at you?" her voice suddenly sympathetic.

"I don't think I've ever actually had a fight with him before," she informed her, "I mean, I'll scold him every once and a while for doing something stupid or messy but we've never actually fought."

"What did he say?"

"He was mad that Roger made this decision without consulting me. He thinks I'm allowing myself to be pushed around."

"Well, I can't say that I disagree with him," she breathed, "who would have thought Chandler would be the one to tell you like it is? He never has a bad thing to say about you."

"Oh, sure, you mean in the three weeks you've been hanging out with us?" Monica laughed dryly.

She smacked Monica's arm playfully, "No, I'm serious. Phoebe says you're his favorite person. She also says I'm not allowed to tell Joey that."

"Well, after last night his opinion of me may have changed," she said sadly. "I mean, we're good, but he thinks I've changed!"

' _Maybe I have,'_ she thinks to herself.

Rachel didn't defend Chandler but with the look she gave Monica, she might as well have.

"I mean, what does he expect me to do? Tell Roger that I need him to continue working here in the city at a job he's unhappy in just so I can be with my friends. I can't be selfish like that. He doesn't have to move mountains for me!"

"Honey, no one expects Roger to move mountains for you. Just to value your input on major decisions."

"Huh," Monica huffed, "Well, Chandler does."

"Chandler does what?"

"Thinks Roger should move mountains for me," she exaggerated her tone to make a point.

"I think you're exaggerating, Monica. Chandler's more reasonable than that."

"No, that's what he said last night! He said that because I'm Dr. Roger's fiancé he should be moving mountains for me. And something about if I were his fiancé he'd never put me in this position, or something."

"Wow," was all that Rachel said in return.

"Wow, what?" Monica sighed.

Rachel cracked a bit of a smile but shook her head, "Nothing, Mon."

"There isn't much I can do, Rachel," Monica said, "he's my fiancé and I've got to support him. For better or for worse. Isn't that how it goes?"

"That doesn't sound very much like you, Monica," she said firmly, "is there something else going on?"

She avoided eye contact, "No."

Monica very much wanted to be anywhere else but there at the moment. She wanted to tell Rachel about what was going on with her but she couldn't muster up the courage to do so. Saying the words out loud made them real and she couldn't handle it. She couldn't do that to Roger.

Rachel grabbed hold of Monica's chin and lightly turned her head to face her, "Are you sure?"

"I promise, I'm fine."

She could tell Rachel wasn't buying it, but she was grateful she wasn't going to press it any further, "Still, I can't believe he would just do that without asking you how you feel about it."

"I mean, I'm still not thrilled with the idea," she admitted, "or with him for that matter, but, I know he was thinking of our future when he made it. I can't stay mad at him forever."

"Rachel," Gunther approached with a tray of beverages in hand, "those people over there have been waiting for their drinks for ten minutes. They've made several complaints."

Rachel rolled her eyes and took the tray from him with a flare of attitude. When the drinks almost toppled over she quickly straightened up and smiled nervously at Gunther. "I gotta go Monica, but, we'll talk about this at home later, alright?"

Monica nodded and plopped the last piece of her cookie into her mouth. She couldn't stop herself from thinking that maybe Chandler's outburst was more than just a friend being concerned for another. He was so passionate about her happiness; but he couldn't feel the same, could he? Before Monica could mull over the subject any longer, a small voice called out to her, "Aunt Monica!"

Suddenly a small, blonde whirlwind came bouncing onto the couch and into her arms, "Hey, Ben," she greeted him, a bit startled, "What are you doing out of school? And where's your dad?"

"He's over there talking to that lady that lives with you," he motioned to Ross awkwardly conversing with Rachel near the counter, "and I have a dentist appointment today!"

"You do?!" she asked in an excited tone, "is that tooth still bothering you?"

"Yeah, Momma Susan thinks I'm eating too much candy. But, that can't be right, you can never have too much candy!"

"That's right," she joked in a hushed tone hoping that Ross couldn't hear.

"Hey, don't tell him that," Ross whined, coming to sit on the other side of her, "Susan's already upset with me about something ninety nine percent of the time, don't give her the last percent."

Monica chuckled, "Well, then blame it on me."

"Oh yeah, like that'll work," he scoffed. Turning his head to the side he began to squint, "Hey, Mon, isn't that Steve, from high school?"

She turned her head to look in the same direction, "Hey, yeah, that is Steve."

Hearing the sound of Monica's voice the man in question raised his head, "Ross? Monica?"

"Hey man, how's it going?" Ross asked with a wave.

Steve gathered his paperwork and coffee to come and join them, "Hey, it's going great. How are you two doing? And who is this little guy?" he asked, dropping down to Ben's level to greet him.

"This is my son, Ben," Ross said, "Ben, this is Steve. He went to school with me and your Aunt Monica."

Ben mumbled a, _'hello,'_ before returning to his dinosaur picture book that he'd brought in with him.

"Well, you both look great," Steve complimented, "Monica, have you lost a little weight?"

She beamed, "Yep! Ten pounds!"

He smiled.

"So, what are you doing now, Steve?" Ross asked.

"I work in advertising."

"Oh, that sounds like an interesting career," Monica mused.

"Well," he chuckled, "I like it. I'm actually working right now. I'm going through these intern applications and it's not looking too good."

"Intern applications?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, we choose a number of interns every so often to train with us for a while and then pick the strongest candidates for permanent positions."

"A lot of duds, huh?" Ross inquired.

"Well, some of these applicants are perfectly qualified and others, well…."he trailed off.

Monica thought for a moment, "Would you be looking for someone who has a good sense of humor?"

"Actually, yes. We find a lot in my business that funny sells. Literally."

"Would you happen to have a blank application with you?"

"Mon, what are you doing? You're not funny." Ross deadpanned.

She elbowed him, "Not for me, for Chandler."

"Who's Chandler?" Steve asked.

"He's a good friend of ours. He's super funny and a hard worker. He's been looking for a change of scenery."

"He didn't tell me he was looking for a new job," Ross said; wounded.

"Yes, his constant complaining wasn't a dead give-away. It's a wonder I cracked the code, Ross."

He made a face at her.

"Well, if he's as great as you say he is, then I'd be happy to approve him for the internship. Here's an application. Just have it faxed to me by the end of the week and we'll talk," he looked down at his watch, "darn. I gotta get back to the office but it was really nice to see the two of you. Hopefully I'll be meeting Chandler soon."

As Steve walked out the door Ross turned to Monica, "You really think Chandler would be good in advertising?"

She looked down at the application and smiled, "Well, here's hoping."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Hello everyone, thanks so much for the reviews and continued support! Here's the next chapter! I'm hoping to have another out before the weekend ends. Have a lovely day and happy reading**

"Good morning ladies and gents!" Chandler announced, strolling into Monica's apartment the next morning.

Monica looked up from pouring her cereal and smirked at Phoebe sitting across from her.

He coughed awkwardly, "…..I mean, just ladies."

Phoebe mindlessly flicked with her lighter and mumbled a greeting to him. She'd been released from the hospital earlier that morning and had asked Monica to pick her up. It felt so weird to see Phoebe out of a suit; Monica had begun to assume that she tossed everything she had owned before she got into stocks.

"Well, well, look who is out of the hospital. Looking good, Pheebs!"

"Oh, blow it out your ass," she snapped.

Chandler took a large step back from her.

"Ignore her. She's been without nicotine for a few days and she's getting a bit testy," she paused as she saw Phoebe mock her as she talked, "and she's lucky I'm letting her keep the lighter!"

Phoebe sighed and rested her head in her hands, "I'm sorry, Chandler. I mean, you of all people have to know what it's like to give up smoking."

"Yeah, it's a hard habit to break," he said, sitting next to her, "but I don't miss it. I mean, the late night cravings, shortness of breath, the smell it leaves behind on your clothes…you wouldn't happen to have any left, would you?"

"Oh, come on!" Phoebe berated him.

"Chandler!" Monica smacked him.

"What? I mean, just so she's not tempted. I'd be glad to get rid of them for her."

"Oh, uh huh, I'm sure," Phoebe answered sarcastically, picking up her guitar resting against the refrigerator and retreating to the living room.

"So," he began, ignoring Phoebe ignoring him, "what's new with you?"

"Well, I ran into an old friend from high school yesterday."

"Oh, really? Who was it?"

"Oh, just a guy named Steve," she said, deliberately being vague.

"A guy friend from high school? What, like a boyfriend?" his tone suddenly changing..

"No, we were just friends."

"Oh," he said, "well, that's great." Did he sound relieved? No, she was imagining it. Why would he sound relieved at that?

"Anyway, he works in advertising now."

"Oh, that's so cool! I've always wondered what would have happened if I had went into advertising."

"Well, what if I told you may no longer have to wonder?"

"What do you mean?"

She edged closer, "I told Steve that I had a funny, hard-working friend who was looking for a career change and he said that they're looking for interns at his company," she reached for the application she had laying in the empty seat, "and he gave me a blank application to give to you. He said that if you're as funny and hard-working as I say you are then you'd have no trouble getting approved for an intern slot."

"Are you serious?" his face broke out into a wide grin.

"Yeah I am!" she exclaimed. "But, the internship would be unpaid and they only pick a certain amount of people for permanent positions."

He thought for a moment, "Well, I do have some money saved back. I mean, I'm sure I could live off of that until I find out something."

She snorted, "How much?"

He looked around at the vacant room and scribbled a number on a piece of ripped paper and slid it to her as if he were making some sort of drug deal.

"Oh my goodness!" Monica gasped.

"I know," he said with a lop-sided grin.

"Oooh, hello Chandler Bing," Phoebe said in a sultry voice as she suddenly appeared behind Monica. "Is it just me or did you get a lot more handsome?"

"Well, I do eat unhealthy meals three times a day and sleep a lot," he joked, "so, it must definitely be the money."

She winked at him and Monica laughed. She loved the playful relationship he and Phoebe shared; it was cute.

"What about you, Mon? You feeling the love for the Chan-Chan man?" He asked, posing seductively in an attempt to make her laugh.

' _Yes,'_ her mind answered quickly.

She smirked playfully, "You wish."

He blushed and she took that as a triumph.

' _Stop flirting,'_ an alarm sounded in her head.

"So, you want some cereal before work, Chandler?"

"Sure," he took the application off the table and scanned it. "I'm always so horrible at these things. I never know what to write."

"Why don't you get Monica to help you? She's good at things that nobody likes to do," Phoebe suggested.

"That'd be great, Pheebs, but I wouldn't want to bother her with this. She's already done so much to get me the opportunity."

' _Don't do it, this is a bad idea,'_ she told herself.

"It's not a bother, really. Why don't you come over Thursday night? Dr. Roger is stopping by for dinner but he has to go back to work by eight."

' _You idiot.'_

His expression darkened at the mention of Dr. Roger. He was really taking this whole moving situation to heart. That pleased her more than it probably should have.

"Well, alright. But, only if you're sure, Mon. I don't wanna take up your Thursday night."

"Really, Chandler, it's no trouble. I'm happy to help."

He reached across the table and placed his hand on hers, "Thanks, Mon. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me."

"Not at all," she assured him. She could feel her pulse quicken under his touch and wondered if he felt it too. His hands were a little rougher than Roger's, but, they were also much warmer; they felt so right.

"Well, I gotta go to work, but I'll see you girls later," he let go of her hand and quickly grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door.

Monica, hating a mess, made quick work of cleaning up Chandler's half eaten cereal. She'd just started washing dishes when she could feel Phoebe hovering behind her.

"So, how long have you been in love with Chandler?"

She froze. She'd been caught. She knew at this point there was no use in denying it; Phoebe was too smart for that. Man, was she good.

"Phoebe, could we not talk about this, please?"

"Monica," she pushed, "how long?"

"A few months," her voice was low and soft. She was amazed Phoebe had managed to hear her at all.

"Well, I think that's when you realized it. I think you've been in love with him much longer than that."

"Yeah," she sighed and turned around, "probably."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"No," she answered quickly.

Phoebe frowned, "Why not?"

"Phoebe, haven't you forgotten a very important detail?"

She shrugged.

"I'm engaged to Dr. Roger!"

"Oh that!" Phoebe said dismissively, "Don't you think it's time you give that a rest? I mean, he wants you to move to Rhode Island. It's my least favorite of islands!"

"Give it a rest? Phoebe, I love him!"

"Do you?"

"Yes, of course I love him! I love him!"

"Who are you trying to convince here, Monica? Me or yourself?"

"Okay, maybe I don't love him with the intensity of a thousand suns but I do love him."

"Enough?"

She felt aggravated, "Enough for what?"

"Enough to change your entire life for? Enough to lose your chance with Chandler?"

"I don't have a chance with Chandler!"

She laughed, "I beg to differ. Do you see the way he looks at you?"

"Yes, I do. I'm Monica, his fat friend."

"He doesn't see you like that."

"Yes he does! Remember what he said at Thanksgiving?"

"And that was how many years ago? Monica, he's changed; you've changed. I think that if you go through with this wedding you may be giving up the best thing that could ever happen to the both of you."

Monica turned her back to Phoebe and her cheeks suddenly felt wet. She hadn't even realized she'd started crying, "Phoebe, I have to go through with this wedding."

"Monica," Phoebe said in a warning tone.

Monica turned to face her, "Please promise me you won't say anything to Chandler."

"Monica, I don't think you're being yourself right now. Think about what you're-"

"Promise me, Phoebe," she repeated.

Phoebe stared at her for a moment, contemplating, "Alright, I promise."

She picked up her guitar and bag and headed towards the door. She didn't look back as she turned the knob but she said, "I won't say anything but I think you're making a mistake. Thanks for picking me up from the hospital."

Before Monica could accept her thanks she was out the door.


End file.
